Community Empowerment with
Sampeng Sampan
Sampeng Sampan is a conceptual community-based project for Sampeng community in Bangkok. The project aims to make Sampeng stay relevant with the challenge of e-commerce and strengthen the bond within the community.
Services
Service, UX
Type
Student Project
Year
2020
Sampeng Sampan (In Thai, Sampan means 'connect') was a university innovation design group project for Bangkok's Sampeng community, a thriving wholesale market and historic Chinatown neighbourhood. Over time, as businesses in this area, handed down through generations, confronted challenges such as the rise of e-commerce, generational gaps, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the community's unity began to fade. Our project aimed to foster closer community ties and jointly address these challenges.
Our initial step involved conducting primary and secondary research on the Sampeng community's challenges. We interviewed individuals from various generations about their socialisation habits, preferences, and communication methods, with a set of questions. From their responses, we gleaned insights, recognising the need for a design accommodating diverse technological literacies and preferences. While the younger generation was quite adept at digital interactions, the older generation predominantly relied on familiar platforms like Facebook and Line within their close-knit groups. Online secondary research identified the surge in e-commerce as a primary challenge for the primarily in-store nature of the Sampeng market.
"How might we use communication tools to strengthen community and improve financial sustainability for Sampeng?"
Subsequently, we developed two personas: business owners aged 25-50, contributing to the collective space with moderate to high technology literacy, and retail customers aged 18-55, frequenting Sampeng at least annually, with high technological literacy and frequent online shopping habits. Our design requirements aimed to communicate the unique identity of the Sampeng community, facilitate adaptation to new technologies, encourage intra-community interactions, and create spaces for collaborative neighbourhood development.
We designed our solution with the 5E experience design model in mind, ensuring a seamless, engaging experience. This included invitation cards and posters to entice our target audience, online platforms for initiating their journey, a website with location-adding and sharing features to boost engagement and exposure, and an offline event to sustain community growth. These touchpoints collectively constituted Sampeng's renewed experience for both the community and its visitors.
We help Sampeng preserve its unique history, build resilience, and unite the community across generations for collective growth.
Key Impacts
The Sampeng Sampan project would create impacts on community connection, business resilience, and visitor experience. By fostering closer connections between different generations of Sampeng residents, the project has strengthened personal and professional peer support, allowing business owners and customers alike to find a sense of community and shared purpose amidst ongoing challenges. This renewed unity enhances the neighbourhood’s resilience, supporting Sampeng’s traditional businesses in navigating the post-pandemic economy and adapting to the trend of e-commerce with more effective strategies. Moreover, the enhanced online and offline touchpoints improve visitors' navigation and engagement, making Sampeng a more accessible and enjoyable experience for a broader audience. Through initiatives like online communication platforms and inviting events, the project not only encourages exploration but also ensures that Sampeng’s unique cultural and commercial identity thrives in the face of modern shifts.
Team members: Viva Chanyam, Patch Kusonjai, Ittichote Charnchaivoravith, Kusalin Kangsanarak, Vina Puntheeranurug, Chadaporn Apichokejaroenchai
